Process of treating articles formed of ratan.



machine.

* UNITED v srarns P ENT orrrcn.

JOHN FENTON, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF TREATING ARTICLES FORMED OF BATAN.

No Drawing.

particularly to an improved method by which articles of this material may. be stained, dyed or otherwise colored.

Commercial ratan is botanically known as Oalamus, having in its natural state a silicious coating which is impervious to stains and dyes. In order to color articles constructed of ratan it is necessary therefore, first to remove this silicious coating.

There is now on the market in the United States and elsewhere, furniture which is sold under the general term or name of ratan, but which is in fact merely ratan core, the outer or silicious coating having been cut away with knives used either by hand or by This method leaves ratan core which is very susceptible to stains or dyes.

This method calls for an installation of expensive machinery, or the smaller but still more expensive method of hand manipulation, both of which are overcome by my discovery.

My present invention aims to overcome these difliculties by means of a process which is efl'ective in operation, cheap to carry out and which Will entirely remove this silicious coating from the surface of raw ratan.

In carrying out my process the article is first woven from the ordinary commercial ratan of the desired diameter. It is then subjected to a sand blast, which is played over the surface a sufiicient length of time to remove the silicious coating and thus expose the wood'y surface, which allows the penetration of the stain ordye. In this Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Application filed April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,539.

manner when the stain is applied it is absorbed by the body of the ratan strands enabling the latter to be finished in any desired color. I11 this manner furniture constructed of ratan may be given a tone which will harmonize With the color scheme in the room in which it is to be used. The stain or dye is of such a character that the natural beauty of the ratan is not destroyed as is the case where paint is used.

My process thus consists:

1st. Weaving the desired article of ratan,

2nd. Subjecting the completed article to a sand blast, and

Lastly, staining or dyeing the article the desired color.

I am aware that sand blasting has been used for various cleaning and smoothing purposes, but so far as I know it has never been used for removing silicious coating from ratan in order to allow the penetration of a stain, and Without my process a permanent stain cannot be applied to commercial ratan; hence my claim for patent protection.

What I'claim as new and Wish to cover byLetters Patent is:

1. A process of treating ratan comprising removing the silicious coating of the ratan by abrasion, to expose the porous woody surface, and then staining said exposed woody surface.

2. A process of treating ratan comprising removing the silicious coating of the ratan by means of a sand blast to expose the po rous Woody surface, and then staining the exposed Woody surface.

3. A process of treating ratan comprising weaving the ratan to produce an article of manufacture, then removing the silicious coating of the ratan comprising said article, to expose the porous woody surface, and finally staining said exposed Woody surface.

Intestimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN A. FEN TON.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner o2 Patenta, Washington, D. 0. 

